This series of posts is simply notes of my recent prayers in the morning as I have been praying for specific countries. I write this mainly for myself and my own records (which is the reason for much on this site), but if someone else reads this and decides to pray for these countries, then that will truly be a great thing that would literally change the world.
I believe, because Jesus clearly taught it, that prayer is very powerful. Even if I have no idea of any individual in these countries, and even if my prayers seem too vague, or big, or it seems overwhelming, I know that God reigns on the throne and prayer moves his hand.
These notes then are just essentially prayer requests based on the summaries of prayer needs in the book Pray for the World. This book is an abridged version of the 2010 volume of Operation World. I own and have looked through Operation World, but it is a very large book with so much information. Pray for the World, on the other hand, is much more condensed and less intimidating. That being said, for each country there is still numerous information and prayer requests, so for my prayers I just have been highlighting the few requests I’m praying for and then journaling them. These posts are simply my journal notes typed out—once again, mainly for myself, but if they benefit others by stirring prayer, then praise God.
For each country, there will be a link in the name to the OperationWorld.org information site if you would like more info. Then there will be population details, especially concerning the amount and percentage of evangelicals. And third, I will list the things I prayed about based on the Pray for the World book.
This post will cover the countries in Africa starting with the letters A through M. (The rest of the African countries can be found at this later post.) As you skim/read, I pray you’re heart is opened. That’s what I kept praying. Each time I prayed, I usually did two to three countries, and I would add up the amount of people I was praying for. It would be in the tens or hundreds of millions. And so many don’t know Jesus. It is overwhelming. I’m glad Jesus is big and good. But let your heart break.
Prayer for Africa (countries A-M)
Africa
1 billion people | 182.4 mil. evangelical | 18% evangelical
Boarder divides by Westerners 100 years ago still causing issues.
Algeria
35.4 mil. | 84,000 ev. | .24% ev.
Unemployment of ex-Muslim Christians as high as 90%
Government stopped import of Bibles
65-70% of population is under 30. No specific ministry to reach them.
Angola
19 mil. | 4.3 mil. ev. | 22% ev.
Praise: evangelicalism grew 4x under the Marxist regime that wanted to eradicate it in 20 years
Need more discipleship. Many false beliefs and much ignorance of the Bible.
Benin
9.2 mil. | 768,000 ev. | 8% ev.
Poverty, illegal underground economy (75%)
Selling of thousands of children to Nigeria
Animism, voodoo, even in churches
Least evangelical non-Muslim country in Africa
Botswana
2 mil. | 160,000 ev. | 8% ev.
Second highest AIDS rate in the world. May the church show forth purity
Burkina Faso
16.3 mil. | 1.4 mil. ev. | 8% ev.
“50% Muslim, 20% Christian, 100% animist!”
Occult issues. Need of discipleship. Power of the risen Christ for deliverance
Burundi
8.5 mil. | 2.3 mil. ev. | 27% ev.
For church to bring peace from the violence
Children – undernourished, malaria, AIDS, Hope for Homes ministry
Cameroon
20 mil. | 1.8 mil. ev. | 9% ev.
Society of corruption to cease
Weak Christianity – tribalism, paganism, alcoholism, lack of Bible reading
Central African Republic (C.A.R.)
4.5 mil. | 1.5 mil. ev. | 33% ev.
Coups and counter-coups have caused chaos
Therefore, immense humanitarian needs as workers fled in 2013 crisis. Need for education, healthcare, etc.
Chad
11.5 mil. | 1.2 mil. ev. | 10% ev.
Most corrupt nation in the world. New, fair government needed
Need church agreement on tribal rites
More unreached peoples than any other African nation
Comoros
691,000 | 1,300 ev. | .18% ev.
99% of people follow Islam; many engage in witchcraft.
Young people are discontent and run to drugs, sex, leaving Island. May they embrace the gospel!
Congo-DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo)
67.8 mil. | 12.7 mil. ev. | 19% ev.
Conflict here has produced more deaths than anywhere else since WWII.
Rape, brutality, cannibalism, witchcraft—all in a country where 90% confess Christianity!
Congo-ROC (Republic of Congo)
3.8 mil. | 598,000 ev. | 16% ev.
Two decades of Communism past, not now still prayer for good government, wise use of natural resources, just rule.
Majority of population Christian, but many say 50% are animist.
Cote d’Ivoire
21.6 mil | 2.3 mil. ev. | 11% ev.
More evangelical congregations exist than “fetish groves” (shrines for spirit worship), but spirit power remains strong—even in many Christians. Fight temptation to go back to old ways.
Lack of understanding of the Bible
Many emphasize healings and miracles, or prosperity, rather than Christ.
Djibouti
879,000 | 1,200 ev. | .13% ev.
Widespread famine, unemployment, human trafficking, prostitution, and drug abuse
Many missionaries left field due to physical and spiritual oppression, ethnic tensions, and so few believers. Need more missionaries
Egypt
84.5 mil. | 3.3 mil. ev. | 4% ev.
Many Copts do not, but many do, practice their faith.
Many evangelized churches without a trained pastor. Pray for training.
Praise: Many Muslims are converting, even some prominent Muslim leaders.
It isn’t illegal, but many of them are thrown into prison on false charge and many need to flee
Equatorial Guinea
693,000 | 30,000 ev. | 4% ev.
Unusual political and economic situation – large oil refineries, only a few get wealthy, corruption
Eritrea
5.2 mil. | 111,000 ev. | 2% ev.
2002 law banned all religions except Sunni Islam, Eritrean Orthodox, Catholic, and Lutheran
Christian church faces persecution – prison, house arrest, beatings, torture, death.
“The intense suffering of the church in Eritrea is an untold story of the past decade.”
Ethiopia
85 mil. | 16.7 mil. ev. | 20% ev.
Praise: Massive evangelical growth
Pray for a recent strategy to further evangelizing Ethiopia and reach unevangelized people.
In east, most are Muslim. Ethiopian Sumalis are on of Africa’s least unreached peoples – 4.5 mil. people
Gabon
1.5 mil. | 191,000 ev. | 13% ev.
Spirit beliefs and practices lie underneath much of their Christian faith practices – charms, hallucinogenic drugs, spirits, medicine men.
Leaders in government, police, and army even participate in these practices.
Some Christians are denied professional opportunity if they don’t participate. So, pray for faithfulness.
Much of the church has grown liberal in the faith, and so there’s less evangelism. Need to embrace the pure gospel.
The Gambia
1.8 mil. | 13,400 ev. | .74%
Most Christian work is by the coast by the capital. Few reach out to the Muslim majority who live upriver.
The small evangelical church has small number of committed believers. Most do not practice the faith.
Serahule people: Only 10 know Christ out of 180,000 people.
Ghana
24.3 mil. | 5.9 mil. ev. | 24%
63% of all in Ghana call themselves Christians, but only about 10% attend church.
Many still are drawn to charms, occult, and traditional African practices.
Isalm has set out to conquer Ghana, with progress. But many leaders have come to Christ, many initially through dreams.
Troksi girls (girls in servitude to fetish priests) number up to 20,000. Ministries like Every Child and International Needs offer freedom in Christ. Practice is illegal since 1998, but many still participate.
Guinea-Bissau
1.6 mil. | 27,000 ev. | 2%
Poverty, political unrest, and violent conflict
Missionaries come, but few stay long term
Kenya
40.9 mil. | 20 mil. ev. | 49%
Stable, but has threats: Ethnic groups clash over limited resources, urban lslumbs, scarce water, etc.
Nearly 50% of people claim evangelical, yet so many nations use Kenya as a base for corruption and drugs. Pray the Christians oppose the wrongs!
Lesotho
2.1 mil. | 253,000 ev. | 12% ev.
HIV infection rate is among highest in the world (at 23.2%)
Family breakdown, poverty, unemployment, scarce water.
Pre-Christian traditions of ancestor worship, curses, charms, and secret societies are still even in established churches.
Liberia
4.1 mil. | 601,000 ev. | 15% ev.
Recent civil wars devastated the country and traumatized the people. 250,000 died, thousands fled
Former child soldiers – about 15,000 survived. 30% of them have already attempted suicide. Guilt, shame.
Libya
6.5 mil. | 19,700 ev. | .30% ev.
Spiritual climate has recently changed. Many are hungry, but few have access to the Bible.
Believers face many obstacles – government, relatives, and especially Islamic pressure to return to Islam.
Madagascar
20.1 mil. | 2.3 mil. ev. | 11% ev.
The land of riches battles with poverty. They have unique plant and animal species, but it has been hurt by careless slash-and-burn farming technique.
Pray for radios and Christian broadcasts in rural areas.
Malawi
15.7 mil. | 3.1 mil. ev. | 20% ev.
Pray that churches may be better equipped to face AIDS with helpful ministries.
Yawo people group 80% Muslim. The greatest mission challenge in Malawi.
Mali
13.3 mil. | 93,600 ev. | .70% ev.
Great upheaval experienced in 2012-2013. Peaceful elections happened in 2013, but long term peace between north and south seems difficult
Around 20% of children will not survive until age 5. Then 1/3 of those will be malnourished.
2/3 of people are unevangelized. Most of the 60 indigenous people groups are unreached.
Mauritania
3.4 mil. | 2,100 ev. | .06% ev.
All peoples are basically unreached.
Believers face prison, beatings, or rejection by their family or tribe
Few missionaries from other countries live there, especially due to Muslim violence
Morocco
32.8 mil. | 4,800 ev. | .014% ev. (or if only 2,000, then .006% ev.)
Only 4,800 (maybe, he writes there probably are only about 2,000) evangelicals out of 32.8 million people. (My own side note: as perspective, North Korea has about 24 million people and around 250,000 evangelicals)
They’re proud of their Muslim heritage, as a center of Islam.
They resist Christianity and most have never heard the gospel.
20 to 30 small home fellowships/churches exist. Pray for perseverance/witness like the early church.
Government forbids missionary work.
Mozambique
23.4 mil. | 2.6 mil. ev. | 11% ev.
Praise God for peace after 30 years of war
After the end of the Marxist-oriented regime, Christianity has spread rapidly!
Need expatriate missionaries. Workers must be willing to face disease and suffer.
Things That Stuck Out to Me
These are not exhaustive or necessarily the most important things from the information listed above, but as I prayed through these countries, here’s some things that stuck out to me.
Morocco. I was and still am shocked at the statistics there. At most 5,000 evangelicals out of 33 million. It’s unfathomable. And they’re proud of their Muslim heritage, and don’t want anything to do with the Christian faith. Have mercy, Jesus. Send laborers there and start a revival.
Animism. It was eye-opening to see that animism still is so powerful. In our Western world, this is a good reminder at how manifest other things are throughout the world which we don’t encounter often.
Animism, traditional practices, spiritism, charms, etc. in ‘Christianity.’ I was surprised at how much animism still holds sway within Christianity. I’m praying for purity for the church. Not just because it isn’t ‘right,’ but because it is killing the power of the Christian witness and ripping joy from my brothers and sisters in Christ.
Prosperity teaching within Christianity. This wasn’t as much of a surprise to me, but it does sadden me much.
Political situations and unrest. There was more recent political unrest than I was aware of. Oh how complicated the world and government can be. We complain of such small things here int he West and in America. It is eye-opening to see what so many of these countries have gone through—the different government systems, the way religions (esp. Islam) hold so much sway in government, the corruption, the abuse of riches, etc.
So, Will You Pray?
Much more could and should be said. As I said above, I encourage anyone to get the Pray for the World book and read it and pray. I will be doing it more and more.
But we can talk and read all day about prayer, and yet not pray. So, will you pray? Will you join me and the Christian church all over the world as we pray for God’s world and especially God’s church? I post this for my own records, but if fellow brothers and sisters in Christ would pray too, I know Jesus would hear and act upon their prayers too. There’s power in prayer because the God we’re speaking too is the all-powerful One.
I personally acknowledge my insufficiency, the small amount I know, the tininess of myself and my prayers—but I also acknowledge my massive Lord who created and loves the hundreds of millions of people represented above. And amazingly, in the book in which he speaks, he makes it clear that speaking to him on behalf of others actually does things. So, none of this is ever in vain.
May many African people enter into the kingdom; may my African brothers and sisters continue in faithful living, witness, and love; may the missionaries there show forth the compelling glory of Christ; and may the Lamb receive the reward of his suffering from these nations.
